Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest and crime counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site on September 24, 2026.
Chaves County, New Mexico, has about 64,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Chaves County depends on where the incident happened: the Chaves County Sheriff's Office for the unincorporated county, the agency that reports for the city inside a city. This guide names each agency, where its records page is and what the Inspection of Public Records Act requires of it.
This guide covers which agency, the sheriff's reports, the cities' reports, how many reports, what the law requires and common questions.
Related guides: Chaves County public records, Chaves County arrest records, Chaves County warrants, Chaves County criminal records, Chaves County court records, New Mexico arrest records and New Mexico inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Chaves County
A crime, incident or collision report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, and that agency releases it, not the court, the jail or the prosecutor.
In Chaves County that is the Chaves County Sheriff's Office for the unincorporated county and for any city that contracts with it for police service, and the agency that reports for a city where the city has one of its own.
The FBI's list also carries New Mexico Military Institute (campus police), with a records office of its own.
Reports from the Chaves County Sheriff's Office
The Chaves County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 57 violent and 219 property crimes reported for 2022 and reported 382 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit.
Reports from the City Agencies in Chaves County
The four cities the FBI lists in Chaves County with a reporting agency of their own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- Roswell: 425 violent and 1,456 property crimes reported for 2022; 3,241 arrests reported for 2024. The Roswell police records page is at roswell-nm.gov/222/Incident-Arrest-Reports, phone 575-624-6770 (verified September 26, 2026).
- Dexter: 0 violent and 0 property crimes reported for 2022; 20 arrests reported for 2022.
- Hagerman: 0 violent and 2 property crimes reported for 2022; 2 arrests reported for 2022.
- Lake Arthur.
A city on that list is reported separately whether the officers are the city's own or the sheriff's under contract; the FBI's list does not say which.
How Many Reports: Chaves County in 2022
The four agencies in Chaves County with all twelve months of 2022 on file reported 482 violent and 1,677 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the four agencies in Chaves County with all twelve months of 2022 on file reported 3,657 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Inspection of Public Records Act Requires
The Inspection of Public Records Act sets the rules: an answer within 15 calendar days, after acknowledging the request within 3 business days, at a charge of copying at no more than $1 a page, from the agency that holds the report.
Any other county record goes through the county records request page SearchSystems verified, at chavescounty.gov/your-county/departments/human-resources-department... (page title: Request to Inspect Public Records | Chaves County, NM).
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Chaves County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Chaves County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the Inspection of Public Records Act the answer is due within 15 calendar days, after acknowledging the request within 3 business days.
How long does an agency in Chaves County have to answer?
Under the Inspection of Public Records Act, within 15 calendar days, after acknowledging the request within 3 business days. It may charge copying at no more than $1 a page.
How do I get a report from the Chaves County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit. Under the Inspection of Public Records Act the answer is due within 15 calendar days, after acknowledging the request within 3 business days.
Is this the official Chaves County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.